If you want to have a self-managed team (and you really want that), you need to agree on the means of the project, the rules of engagement.
One set of rules for everyone. Everyone should know the same set of rules…
Humans … have “rules” about how we do things “around here”. It is not hardwired however. For us it’s software, an operating system called “Culture” that can be upgraded or switched entirely. It is the culture of a group that determines what we think is important and how we interact with others.
A clear choice between an agile or a plan-driven project approach is a choice in culture. It sets the ground rules for “how we do things around here”.
Image by jlwelsh.
If the entire team uses the same rules on how to conduct meetings, which artifacts to create, which rituals to perform, coordination without central control will become possible.
The means, the rules of engagement, must be these 3 things…
Simple.
And short. And sweet. If everyone should hold the same view of the rules, the threshold for learning should be low. Scrum is short and easy to explain. The entire PMBoK itself is too large, a subset is needed, always.
Accessible.
Team members must be able to reference the rule set quickly in case they need to look something up. If it’s available on the web or intranet, people will use it. “Accessible” means an easy search function, not an glossary with a gazillion entries and links.
Label Must Fit.
If you use a “standard” rule set by it’s name, like Scrum, XP, Prince2, you really have to use the entire set that is covered by the label. PINO, as in Prince In Name Only, or SINO, Scrum In Name Only, is worst case. People will assume they are working according to a certain set of rules, when in reality they are not. Total misalignment.
Johanna Rothman recently wrote a great post that is related to this topic:
“One of the questions people have is: Can we do this partway? No, not Scrum or any other agile lifecycle. You either do it all or you’re not doing agile.”
This is a great case for combining SCM and PPM systems, which are highly complementary. PPM systems can be used to define and document project team roles and workflows.
SCM=Supply Chain Management
PPM=Project Portfolio Management
I am sitting on the edge of my seat… It would be great if you could elaborate a little on this Pradeep. It sounds intriguing.
Hi Bas,
You got PPM right. SCM=Source Code Management. Many SCM systems simply track the source code lifecycle, commonly known as the SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle). Project Management systems track the assignment of deliverables to people, such as developers and QA. At CA, we provide an integration between our PPM product (Clarity), our Service Desk Manager and CA SCM, so an incident can be tracked from the first call to the helpdesk, to a change request, to software change and delevery through the project management system. In the case I refer to in the context of this blog, it is teh PPM system that defines the roles of teh project team members, that the SCM systems usually do not.
Sorry the delay in responding. I am happy to write an article on this or be interviewed if you think this would be interesting to your audiance.
Hi Pradeep, I am still missing the link with the post … but that might be me … but I’ll have a colleague of yours in the podcast in a few weeks, so that will be cleared